Back to the future at Brazilian airports

[mvan1]

During the past several months, several threads have discussed negative changes in connection with visiting Brazil. Crime and inflation were the most important items.

However, last night when I went to the airport to catch my flight home from Brazil, I checked in at my airline and got a boarding pass. Note that Americans cannot check in on line in Brazil.

After obtaining my boarding pass, I walked toward the security point. As I got closer to the security access point, I noticed long disorganized lines of people blocking access to security. This was odd, especially for an early Thursday evening.

The disorganized lines backed up into the corridor of the airport. The lines moved slowly. Finally, after almost one hour, I was able to see the actual security area where passengers place their carry on luggage then pass through a metal detector. I could finally see the reason for the bottleneck of people trying to get through the security process.

For the first time in all my trips to Brazil, all passengers were told to remove their shoes! They were not told of the shoes off requirement until they actually got to the conveyer belt where they place their carry on objects to be scanned.

The shoes off thing was time consuming and unexpected. As I looked around the area, I saw hundreds of people removing their shoes only to return to the scanner and put their shoes through the x-ray scanner then wait for their shoes to put them back on again. After the scanning was done, some passengers had to wait for a place to sit so they could tie their shoe laces. All the while, the lines got longer.

I asked a few agents why the shoes off policy began. I was told that Brazil is exercising its "reciprocity" authority because Americans make Brazilians take off their shoes when Brazilians pass through American security in the U.S.

I stated to the agents that not all passengers going through the Brazilian security are Americans but they are still required to remove their shoes. All I got were a few shrugs from my questions.

In addition to the long lines and unnecessary waste of time, the worse thing about the shoe nonsense is preventing people from going out to their planes on time.

During the silly “security” process, representatives from various airlines came out to the crowds that were waiting in line and shouted out certain flight numbers and certain destinations. They did this because many passengers were stuck in line and were about to miss their flights. Passengers were told to identify themselves if they were on specific flights being announced. These passengers were given priority clearance because their flights were due to depart while they were still in the so-called security process.

I recall, more than ten years ago in Brazil, there was a similar “reciprocity” arrangement (payback) at Brazilian immigration against Americans visiting Brazil. This had to do with a requirement to fingerprint and photograph all foreigners visiting America. All foreigners (including Brazilians) had to be fingerprinted and photographed when they visited the U.S.

A judge in Brazil got angry over that American requirement and ordered immigration in Brazil to fingerprint and photograph only Americans out of what Brazil called “reciprocity.” That childishness ended after a few months.

I wonder how long the shoes off policy with last. I suspect the shoes off policy will end after airlines complain that the boarding process cannot begin on time because passengers are unnecessarily delayed in security.

One positive thing at Brazil immigration is the fact that passengers are no longer selectively harassed at the boarding gates to have their carry on luggage inspected. Such a silly process accomplished nothing except to prevent passengers from finding overhead space for their carry on luggage.

One would think that since Brazil is having such a rough time economically and it is getting such a bad name in the press because of the high crime rate and high inflation, Brazil would not behave in such a childlike manner when it comes to requiring all passengers to remove their shoes merely because such a requirement originated in the U.S.

[TotallyOz]

I was in NYC many years back and had to pay for a visa that was more expensive than other countries. I was told this was in reciprocity.

I was also fingerprinted one time as there was a special line in Brazil for US citizens with the fingerprint.

They seem to really enjoy this reciprocity thing.

[firecat691614502759]

There is no doubt about it. USA treats visitors from many countries quite badly as far as getting visas etc. Brazilians have to pay a lot of money for potential Visa to the USA and if refused no money is returned.

That is the reason for reciprocity for USA citizens to visit Brazil . The Visa has always been ridiculously expensive compared to the rest of the world and that is the reason.

Argentina does the same thing. Who can blame them?

[ihpguy]

LOL!!! I had totally forgotten that time when I arrived here and the underwent the fingerprinting. The cleanup was a bit messy. I think it was when I was leaving Madrid this past March that they only made people not wearing tennis shoes take them off. One woman nearby in high strapped sandals even had to take her shoes off and send them through the x-ray machine. I still wonder why it would not be possible to hollow out the rubber sole on a sneaker for something dangerous

[RA1]

These kinds of things have been ongoing since the "invention" of politics. Since the time of the Wright Brothers a pilot's license has been recognized as a passport/visa around the world (until fairly recently). After all, pilots do nothing if not travel, and why should they spend an inordinate amount of time doing travel paperwork when one's government has vouched for them (by granting the pilot's license)?

In times within memory, the US started requiring visas of French pilots and, surprise, the French immediately required US pilots to have a visa to land in France. All silly.

But, these sorts of things have escalated around the world and now many countries have various requirements for pilots (and others, of course).

When I first started flying to Europe, I could get all the way to England without a passport (or visa) but landing in the UK meant I had to present my US passport. At least there was no line.

Bureaucracy will certainly be the death of us all.

Best regards,

RA1

[MsGuy]

Bureaucracy will certainly be the death of us all.

And dictate the amount of chrome on your coffin hardware and the number and arrangement of the flowers in your wreath.

(Assuming that AS & I can stump up the cash for a wreath)

[Valleyman]

As of today -- 8 June 2015 -- the security people at GRU (Sao Paulo) are still requiring all passengers to remove their shoes and belts as part of the security check process.

However people seem to have figured out how to do this type of security check -- the security lines today were very short.It only took about 20 minutes for me to pass through the security and passport checks.

[mvan1]

As of today -- 8 June 2015 -- the security people at GRU (Sao Paulo) are still requiring all passengers to remove their shoes and belts as part of the security check process.

However people seem to have figured out how to do this type of security check -- the security lines today were very short.It only took about 20 minutes for me to pass through the security and passport checks.

If it took only about 20 minutes for you to pass through security, it is still about 15 minutes longer than it took before the silly shoes off (now belts also) requirement began this year.

Monkey see, monkey do. The U.S. did it first, then the others follow. Accomplishing nothing productive, in the process.

Another thought, since unemployment rate is so high in Brazil, the excess number of security employees at the airports help, in a small way, to expiate for the high unemployment.

[Casteran]

Rio airport just three weeks ago, did not have take off shoes or belt. Quite fast, 10 minutes. Flew American